Why write ?

Francis Bacon, Renaissance author, courtier, and father of inductive reasoning.

Why then I have resisted for so long to start writing just for the fun of it? Does it mean I am not an exact man? I DO read a lot. That makes me pretty ready. I DO speak a lot, figuratively and professionally : I am a professional speaker! The question comes back to haunt me again : am I not an exact man?

Writing forces you to put down precisely what you think. It forces you to clarify your thoughts. The exercise in itself is refreshingly interesting. The results might not be conclusive at first but each time I do sit down long enough to write and think, I am pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Most of the times. The other times, well, I toss it and start again! Or not!

I had been writing a monthly column for more than 5 years (a pharmaceutical newsletter) as a training manager in a big pharma company. You do that one month at a time, one page at a time and one word at a time. Behind all this is a desire to share and connects the many dots of our busy lives. I once read in The tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell, the word maven, a jewish word meaning something like a trusted expert in a particular field who seeks to pass his or her knowledge on to others. The one who connects and makes links, albeit sometimes unusual ones! I do that a lot. And fast! Sometimes, too fast! Writing slows me down. Enough for the thoughts to articulate in a meaningful manner. That helps. Writing does that.

Making links, connecting and sharing it all!

A diary is OK but it does not require any structure and is not too good for sharing.

An executive report is OK, as far as the structure and the sharing is concerned, but forget about being creative.

So what is left ? A free-form text ! A syndicated column or this recent litterary invention, a blog !

But this exercise is futile if it becomes a one way conversation with a blank page on a computer monitor. So …I am eagerly waiting for your comments !